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Two Alan Lee illustrated editions of LOTR, a 3-volume and a 1-volume, are advertised in the latest discount book catalog of Edward R. Hamilton, and also on

Message 1 of 2
, Nov 17, 2008

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Two Alan Lee illustrated editions of LOTR, a 3-volume and a 1-volume, are advertised in the latest discount book catalog of Edward R. Hamilton, and also on their website at www.hamiltonbook.com. I thought the blurbs were interesting.

The 3-volume blurb reads, "The Lord of the Rings is often erroneously called a trilogy, when in fact it is a single novel, consisting of six books plus appendices, sometimes published in three volumes, as here. Concerns the adventures of Frodo Baggins and his elderly cousin Bilbo, as they are entrusted with the Ring."

I like the first sentence of this, which is of an informative accuracy not generally expected in remainder book catalogs. The second sentence, however, is not entirely accurate (Bilbo is not "entrusted" with the Ring, and anyway he gives it up in Chapter One), and would only be uselessly puzzling to anyone who needed a plot summary.

The 1-volume blurb reads, "Presents all three parts of the Tolkien classic: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the Ring [sic]. Tells of the quest undertaken by Frodo with the fellowship of the ring: Gandalf the Wizard, the hobbits, and Bilbo Baggins. Special edition contains reproductions of fifty paintings by noted English artist Alan Lee."

This is more hapless. The hobbits _and_ Bilbo Baggins, eh?

Merlin DeTardo

...

Message 2 of 2
, Nov 18, 2008

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---David Bratman <dbratman@...> wrote:
<< I thought the blurbs were interesting.
The 3-volume blurb reads, "The Lord of the Rings is often erroneously
called a trilogy, when in fact it is a single novel, consisting of six
books plus appendices, sometimes published in three volumes, as here.
Concerns the adventures of Frodo Baggins and his elderly cousin Bilbo,
as they are entrusted with the Ring."
I like the first sentence of this, which is of an informative accuracy
not generally expected in remainder book catalogs. >>

That first helpful sentence is copied almost verbatim from the first
sentence of Douglas A. Anderson's "Note on the Text" for LOTR (at least
as that note appears in my 2005 one-volume paperback), which reads:

"J.R.R. Tolkien's _The Lord of the Rings_ is often erroneously called a
trilogy, when it is in fact a single novel, consisting of six books
plus appendices, sometimes published in three volumes."

-Merlin DeTardo

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